9. Understanding Humiliation

In much of the Western and other moral traditions, good enjoys primacy, and evil is largely seen as negative, derivative, and lacking stability. There are fascinating discussions of virtues, human dignity, harmony and happiness, but their negatives get only a cursory treatment. Some traditions, especially Buddhism, are rather different. They discuss evils more often than goods, describe them in a stronger and more evocative language, spell out their consequences in vivid and moving terms, and concentrate on showing why they should be avoided at all cost. This chapter is intended to show that the evils are sometimes easier to identify and agree upon than the goods, and that a discussion of them can offer greater insights into the nature of moral life than that of the goods.